Time Heals All Wounds
by xobabygurlxo
Summary: COMPLETE Samantha is attacked...how will Martin handle it? MS Chapter 14: The final result and the aftermath
1. The Attack

Disclaimer: I don't own anything….except minor characters that you don't recognize

Summary: Sam is attacked

Pairing: M/S

Spoilers: Not sure….depends

Timeline: Before The Bogie Man and after Malone vs. Malone

CHAPTER 1

Samantha Spade was sitting at her desk doing paperwork. The load seemed to get bigger and bigger. She was so wrapped up in her work that she jumped when she felt a pair of fingers touching her back ever-so-softly.

Turning around, Sam saw the culprit was her boyfriend and co-worker Martin Fitzgerald. By the intimate touch on her back, Sam knew it was boyfriend Martin in front of her and not co-worker Martin.

"Scare you?" Martin asked.

Sam scoffed. "You didn't scare me. You _startled_ me."

"Well, I didn't mean to _startle_ you," Martin said in a teasing tone. Sam looked disapprovingly at him, "but I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to dinner tonight."  
"Dinner?" Sam asked, looking around to see if anyone was there. Martin knew she would have this reaction. It was her idea no to tell the team about them, even though Martin secretly knew that they all already knew.

"At my place. Just the two of us. No cameras, no jumbotrons, just you, me, and Bobby McGee."

Sam smirked at Martin's attempt at humor. "All right, I'll go."

"Good."

"But I want to go home and change first, OK?"

Martin just smiled. "Fine by me. Take as long as you need." And with that, he grabbed his stuff and walked away.

Sam sighed, watching Martin leave. She waited a few minutes before packing up herself and leaving.

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A half hour later, Sam was standing outside her apartment building trying to get a cab. She wasn't having much luck. Sam sighed. She decided to walk down the street a ways, and see if it helped any.

Sam kept walking and, as she passed an alley, a dark figure grabbed her from behind and pulled her in.

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Martin sat in his living room waiting for Sam to arrive. He had left the office two hours ago. He said to take her time, but he didn't think she'd need this much time.

He was debating whether to call Sam or not. Their relationship was a little rocky and the last thing he wanted was her to get mad at him for not thinking she could take care of herself.

Martin jumped when the phone rang. _Please God let it be her_, he thought.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hi, is this Martin Fitzgerald?" the male voice on the other side asked.

Martin sighed. "Yeah, this is him."

"My name is Dr. Robertson down at St. Luke's Hospital, and I need to know….do you know a Samantha Spade?"

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A/N: Oh no! gasp lol sorry….please review and let me know what you think! Maybe I'll add more….


	2. The Prognosis

Chapter 2

Martin Fitzgerald almost never drove his car. He usually liked to take cabs since it was practical and he didn't have to worry about car jackers. His car was only really used for emergencies.

And boy was this an emergency.

When Martin arrived at St. Luke's, he parked his car and sprinted towards the front doors.

"Samantha Spade. I need to see Samantha Spade," he barked at the receptionist.

"Samantha is in surgery now."

"Then I need to talk to Dr. Robertson. I'm Martin Fitzgerald, he called me."

"Let me get him for you," the receptionist said, and paged Dr. Robertson. "He'll be with you shortly. If you would take a seat over there, please."

Martin walked over in a trance. This was too surreal. It couldn't be happening. Not to Sam. And why was she in surgery? The doctor had told him nothing over the phone. Just that Samantha had called for help and her prognosis was pending.

_Obviously they found something wrong_, Martin thought.

A few minutes later, Dr. Robertson walked up to Martin.

"Mr. Fitzgerald?" the gray-haired man asked.

"Yes, how is she doctor?"

"Mr. Fitzgerald, are you close with Samantha?"

_Why is he asking me this?_ Martin thought in a panic. "She's my girlfriend."

"Well, I'm not sure how to tell you this…"

This doctor was really pissing Martin off. Why couldn't he just get to the point?

"Your girlfriend was attacked a couple hours ago. We found he in an alley and she was in pretty bad shape."

"Well, what happened?" Martin asked, feeling his life being sucked out of him.

"Mr. Fitzgerald, I…."

"Just tell me!" Martin yelled, "Please," he calmed down, "Just tell me what happened to my girlfriend."

Dr. Robertson sighed. "Your girlfriend was brutally beaten, raped, and shot and may not make it through the night." Martin looked shocked. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

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A/N: Oh no poor Sam….tear…..review and tell me what you think…maybe I'll post chapter 3 (sorry these are short but most of these chapters probably will be but I hope to update often)


	3. The Team

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm so glad you like the story…here's chapter 3! I promise I'll get to the good stuff soon

CHAPTER 3

Jack Malone sat in his apartment eating a TV dinner and watching Night Court on TV Land. It was 11:00 and usually Jack would either be at the office doing work or in bed trying to sleep. Since he had almost no work – surprisingly – and couldn't sleep – not surprisingly – he decided to watch TV. He had had enough real drama for the day, so he decided to watch some fake drama. The latest commercial break had just ended – boy, aren't there a lot of those these days – when his phone rang.

"Malone," he answered.

"Hi, Jack, it's uh, Martin."

"Martin, what's wrong? You sound a little off."

"S-something's happened Jack. Something bad."

"What do you mean something bad? To who?"

"Sam," Martin choked out.

Jack's face fell. "What happened to Sam, Martin?"

"S-she was, um, b-beaten, and raped, and uh, s-shot, J-Jack," Martin stammered.

"Oh my God," Jack said. "Where are you?"

"St. Luke's."

"OK, I'll be right there."

"S-she's real bad, Jack."

"Martin, calm down, OK? It's going to be all right. Just hang on. I'll be right there."

"OK, Jack."

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Vivian Johnson had decided to go to bed early. After dealing with criminals all day and a teenage son all night, she felt she deserved a good night's sleep.

She was awaken, however, by the shrill sound of a phone. She groaned and looked at the clock.11:15. She had fallen asleep a half an hour ago.

_It better not be Jack with a case_, she thought.

"Hello," she murmured.

"Viv, it's Martin. Did I wake you up? God, I'm sorry. So sorry."

"Hey Martin, it's OK. Don't worry about it. What's up?" Viv could hear how upset Martin sounded.

"S-Samantha got hurt."

"What?" Martin stayed silent. "Martin, what do you mean Samantha got hurt? What happened?"

"S-she was beaten, Viv. Raped a-and shot too," Martin stammered. He sounded on the verge of tears.

"Oh my God. Is she going to be OK?"

Martin sniffed. "They don't seem hopeful, Viv." With that, he broke down and started sobbing.

"Oh God, Martin." It broke Viv's heart listening to her young co-worker reacting like this. _He must really love her_, Viv thought. "Calm down, OK? I'll be right there."

"No, Viv, you sleep."

"Martin Fitzgerald, I am coming down there, no questions. Now what hospital are you at?"

"Uh, St. Luke's."

"OK, I'll be there soon. Did you call Jack?"

"Yeah, he's on his way."

"OK, sit tight. I'm coming."

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Danny Taylor was sitting at a booth at Club Rain. He had already gotten two girl's phone numbers and was thinking he might leave since, being at a club alone wasn't as fun. It also looked sort of pathetic. But, Danny was so hot that he could afford to look a little pathetic.

"Hey, baby, want some company?" some girl with long brown hair, a mini skirt, and way too much makeup asked Danny.

Danny smiled. "Sure." Even if she did maybe try too hard, she was still hot. Just then, his phone rang. Danny sighed. "Hold on one sec." The girl pouted a little. "Taylor." he answered. He looked at the clock above the bar.

11:30.

"Hey, Danny, it's Martin."

"Martin? Hey man, what's wrong you sound like hell." Danny put one finger in his non-occupied ear to try and drone out the loud music. The hot girl sighed, and put one hand on her hip.

"Sam's been hurt, Danny."

Danny stopped. He looked stunned. "WHAT?" he yelled. The hot girl jumped, obviously not expecting this outburst.

"Are we gonna hang, or what?" the girl asked.

Danny just shook his head, and walked away. "What do you mean Sam's been hurt?" Danny asked Martin, and walked out of the club.

"She's been beaten, raped, and…" Martin gulped, this never got easier to say, "shot," he finished.

"WHAT?" Danny yelled again. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?"

"I don't know, man."

"OK, where are you?"

"St. Luke's. Viv and Jack are on their way."

"And so am I. I'll be right there." Danny hung up and closed his phone. "Oh my God," he said, before heading towards a cab that was going to take him to Martin and one very hurt Sam.

A/N: Next chapter should be up soon, hopefully. Please review, also ideas are welcome.


	4. The Dilemma

Hey…I'm back! Sorry I haven't updated in forever but school has kept me super busy….I hope this chappie satisfies your needs for a while

Thanks to all who reviewed….keep the suggestions coming!

CHAPTER 4

An hour after they all got the call, Jack, Danny, and Vivian were sitting in the waiting area of St. Luke's hospital. Martin was pacing the floor, nervous as hell.

Finally, Danny rolled his eyes. "Martin, man, you have got to sit down, you're driving me crazy."

"I can't, Danny. Why won't they tell us anything? Why isn't she out of surgery yet?"

"I don't know, man, but you're not helping by walking back and forth and making us all dizzy." Martin sighed.

"Danny's right, Martin," Viv spoke up, "Why don't you sit down? You look tired."

Martin sighed, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. "All right, I'll sit. But I can't sleep until I know Sam's OK." The others nodded, satisfied to at least have him sitting.

Martin sat still and blinked his eyes a few times, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

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_Martin lay on his bed with Sam in his arms. She was playing with his fingers on one hand while his other hand played with her hair._

_"What are you thinking about, pretty girl?" he asked._

_"Nothing."_

_"Well, you must be thinking about something." He kissed her head._

_"You'll laugh at me."_

_"I will not," he said._

_"Will too."_

_"Will not." Sam sighed._

_"OK, I'll tell you." She turned around to face him, and he smiled at her. "I was actually thinking about the 2.2 kids, white picket fence, golden retriever dream."_

_Martin smiled. "Really," he said._

_"You're making fun of me," Sam accused, turning around and laying her head upon his chest again._

_"No I'm not, I think it's sweet." He kissed her head. "So, what do you imagine your husband to be like?" he asked, playing with her hair again._

_Sam turned around to face him, his hands still in her hair. "Well, he'd have to be tall, dark, and handsome of course."_

_"Of course," Martin said, kissing her forehead._

_Sam smiled. "And he'd have to have brown hair, blue eyes, and a great body."_

_Martin smiled. "Oh yeah?"_

_"Yeah. You know anyone like that?" Martin smiled again before leaning in and kissing Sam passionately._

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Martin was nudged awake by Danny. "The doctor's here," Danny said.

Martin wiped some drool off his face, and stood right up and went over to Dr. Robertson, Danny, Jack, and Viv close behind. "How is she, Doc?" Martin asked.

Dr. Robertson sighed. "She just came out of surgery. She's in ICU now, we are going to try to get her to a private room soon." The doctor paused, Martin was getting frustrated. "I'm afraid that Samantha has slipped into a coma, and if she doesn't wake up within the next 24 hours, she will die."

A/N: OK, so, I put in Sam's dilemma in this chapter in case I don't get to update for a while….what do you think? What will happen to Sam? Dum dum DAH!


	5. The Orders

Hey guys! Thanks so much for reviewing and I'm so sorry its taken so long for me to update but you know, school keeps me super busy. I promise to try to update more often.

Also, if anyone knows about that site that has all the Martin/Samantha fanfics (used to be and then it's not working for me, says its "Forbidden" or something which I really hate because I love that site and there are some fantastic stories on it I wish to finish reading. If anyone could help me out I'd appreciate it.

Anyway, here's chapter 5.

Brief recap: Sam is in a coma and if she doesn't wake up in 24 hours, she will die. OK? Everyone up to speed? Here it is.

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Martin was completely numb. It couldn't be true, it just couldn't! His Samantha couldn't be knocking on death's door right now! She just couldn't! It was so unfair. Martin slumped into a seat….not blinking….hardly breathing. What was the point anyway? If Sam was to die, there was no reason for Martin to live. Sure, they had their share of fights, but what couple didn't? Martin couldn't form a single thought, he was shocked. He felt as if his heart had been smashed with a sledgehammer, run over by an 18-wheeler, and then trampled on by a stampede of 500 pound elephants. His whole world was falling apart, and all he could do was sit there.

The rest of the team dared a look at Martin. They couldn't imagine the kind of hurt he was going through. Viv thought of her husband Marcus and couldn't imagine losing him. Jack couldn't imagine losing anyone that close, even if it was his ex-wife Maria. Danny even let a single tear fall down his cheek. He was about to lose his best friend in the world, and he wasn't going to let it go down without a fight.

The doctor came back out soon after he dropped the bombshell on the Missing Persons Squad, and told them Sam was in her own room now and that they could see her. Danny instantly fled to go see his best friend, with Jack close behind. Martin stayed frozen in his chair, and as Viv passed, she stopped to talk to him.

"Hey, are you coming?" she asked.

Martin just shook his head. He opened his mouth, wanting to respond, but he just couldn't. He stammered over his words, and eventually just stopped trying, and started to cry. Vivian walked over to him, and held him, telling him that Sam would be OK and they would get through it together…typical things a friend tells a friend or a mother tells a son.

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When Danny and Jack entered Sam's room, they couldn't believe their eyes. For a minute, it almost didn't seem real. She didn't look like Sam. She was so small, and looked so pale against the blinding white sheets and the dull, white walls of her small hospital room. The two men couldn't move. They couldn't…no, didn't….want to believe that this was _their_ Sam.

A few more tears slid down Jack and Danny's face, as the two finally approached their dying friend. Jack took her left hand, as Danny kissed her forehead and then took her right hand. Neither of them spoke. They just stared at her. Mesmerizing her features in case this was the last time they would ever see her.

Finally, Danny spoke. "Hey Hot Stuff. It's Jack and Danny. We need you to wake up for us, Viv, and especially Martin. He cares a lot about you, sweetheart. Please wake up. We need a Sam Spade in our life. How do you expect us to go on without your witty humor and bright smile? We can't, Sam, we won't. Please, wake up." Danny glanced over at Jack, who just stared at Sam, tears flowing down his cheeks.

"Come on, Samantha," Jack said, "Wake up for us. I'll give you a raise if that's what you're aiming for here," Jack smiled at his attempt at humor. Danny smiled as well. "Please."

The two just stood there, each holding one of Sam's small hands. The men couldn't look at Sam, they couldn't look at each other, they just….looked.

Finally, Jack shook his head and wiped his tears away. He kissed the back of Sam's hand, rubbed her forehead, and then stormed out of the room. Danny, looking shocked, kissed Sam's forehead again, whispered, "We'll be back," and followed Jack.

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In the waiting area, Martin had finally calmed down enough to talk to Viv. "This can't be happening," he said.

"She'll be fine, Martin. I'm sure of it. When have you ever known Sam to not step up to a challenge? Hmm?" Martin smiled a sad smile as he thought about his comatose girlfriend. "Besides, you know she wouldn't leave you or us without saying goodbye. She isn't that cruel, right? She'll come around, and you two can live happily ever after."

Martin sighed. "I hope you're right, Viv."

Viv smiled, and held Martin's hand, and soon looked over to see Jack running up to them.

"Viv, you, Danny, and I are going to go back to the office and find the sick bastard that did this to Sam. We won't stop until we find him. Martin, you are to stay here with Sam until she wakes up. I do not want her alone in that room for any period of time, you got that?" Jack ordered, looking at Martin.

"Yes, sir," Martin said softly. As if he would ever leave Sam alone again.

"All right. Come on guys, we can't let Sam down." And with that, Jack stormed out of the hospital with Danny and Viv in tow.


	6. The First Date

Since you've all been so good and so patient, I decided to give you two chapters in a row. Here's chapter 6!

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The soft humming of the machines and the slow beep-beep-beep of the moniter made Martin's hair stand on edge. He took his time entering the room, and looked around until finally resting his eyes upon Sam. She looked so pale, and so small, and even though she was close to death, to Martin she never looked more beautiful. Sure a little makeup and a hair brush might do her justice, but she looked so real and just so stunning that it took Martin's breath away.

He slowly made his way over to her, pulling up a chair beside her bed. He didn't touch her, for fear that if he did, this would all be real and he might lose her after all. Martin just sat there in complete silence, staring at his beloved. A few lonely tears made track marks on his face, but he didn't even bother to wipe them away. It would be a waste of time. He felt as if his entire life was a waste of time.

Well, almost his entire life….

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_The butterflies in Martin's stomach fluttered about as if they planned to nest there permanently. Tonight was to be his and Sam's first date. And sure, it was only dinner at his apartment, but he couldn't shake the nervous feeling he had. He felt like a virgin on his wedding night, which was strange because Sam knew first hand that he wasn't a virgin. (They may have done things backwards having sex before having the first date, but who's to say that that's not the way it should be?)_

_ Martin put the finished touches on the table. It was beautifully decorated with a white, Martha Stewart cotton tablecloth, two place settings, and two white candles flickering in the middle. Soft jazz filled the air, and fresh, red roses sat on the table. The lights were dim, and it was the most romantic thing Martin had ever done. Then again, the girl he was about to see was not just _any_ girl, but the girl of his dreams._

_Martin's neurotic thoughts were stopped at the sound of the doorbell. He froze. When the doorbell rung a second time, he quickly got back into shape, fixed his tie, and walked over to the door. When he opened it, he could not believe his eyes._

_There was Sam, dressed in a flowing, red gown that clung to her in all the right place. Sure, Martin had already seen what was underneath, but he almost liked her better in that dress. Her hair was just curly enough, and engulfed her face. She looked gorgeous, a stunning sight. It took Martin's breath away._

_"Hi," he stammered out, lamely._

_Sam giggled. "Hi. Are you going to stand there drooling or are you going to let me in?"_

_Martin finally snapped out of his daydream, and ushered her inside, taking her wrap as he did._

_"The place looks lovely, Martin, it's so romantic," she said. While Martin was a pile of nerves, Sam didn't seem that nervous at all. _

_In reality, Sam thought she was going to throw up in the cab on the way here she was so nervous. But, not wanting Martin to know just how nervous she was, she decided to try and remain calm. _

_"Well, thank you. I did it myself." He kissed her cheek, and she chuckled._

_"I can imagine how hard that must have been for you," she joked. He responded with a dry laugh._

_"Come, come and sit down. Dinner should be ready in about ten minutes."_

_"Sounds great. What is Chef Fitzgerald cooking tonight?" Sam asked, curious, as she made her way to the table. The sight of it made her speechless as she bent over to smell the roses._

_"Ah, a chef never gives away his specials," he responded, walking into the kitchen._

_Sam just laughed. "OK, OK." She sat down at one of the settings and looked over the place._

_Martin came back out with a bottle of wine. "Wine for the lady?"_

_"Oh, yes, please." Martin filled two glasses, and then clinked his and Sam's together before each person took a sip. "This is very good wine, Chef."_

_"Why thank you, mademoiselle. I picked it out myself."_

_A soft ding was heard, signaling Martin to return to the kitchen. He returned shortly after with a big plate of lamb smothered in some kind of sauce and tiny carrots along the side._

_"Bon appetite, madmemoiselle," Martin said in a phony French accent. Sam giggled._

_"Why thank you, monsieur." _

_The couple ate their fancy dinner, talked, laughed, and had a good time – Martin's nerves long forgotten. After dinner was over, the couple moved to the couch, still sipping their wine._

_"I had a wonderful time tonight, Martin."_

_"Good, I had a wonderful time as well, Samantha." Sam grinned. "You think, uh," Martin paused, his nerves returning._

_"What?" Sam asked curious._

_"You think you'd wanna do this again? Go out, I mean."_

_Sam smiled, and then leaned in, and kissed Martin on the lips. "I thought you'd never asked." Martin smiled back, and kissed Sam again. They put their wine glasses on the table, and made their way to the bedroom. If Martin's nerves returned that night, he sure didn't show it…_

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More tears fell down Martin's face as he recalled their first date. It was a magical night, full of passion and romance. It was impossible for Martin to believe that he would never have a night like that again with her.

Finally, Martin reached out for Sam. He took her hand, rubbing her knuckles together, and then leaned in and kissed her lips softly. "I love you," he whispered, "and I will never leave you alone, again."


	7. The Doorman

Thanks for the reviews…..sorry for the lateness….you know the routine

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Jack, Vivian, and Danny all sat at the conference table, discussing Samantha.

"We have to treat this delicately. If we have one screw up, we may not be able to nail the guy when we find him if the defender thinks we did it on purpose because we are to emotionally attached, okay?" (A/N: not sure if that's true but, let's say it is) Viv and Danny nodded. "All right, now we don't have any leads or anywhere to start so this may be difficult. Danny, what did Martin tell you?"

"His statement says that he and Sam agreed to go to his place tonight after Sam went home and changed. He was home for two hours before he got the call from Dr. Robertson."

"Okay. Can anyone verify that she even made it home?" Jack asked. He hated talking about Sam as if she was just another missing person, but he needed to know who did this to her and lock him up.

"The paramedics I talked to said that they found Sam right around the corner from her apartment building and they showed me the clothes that she had been wearing and they were different from the ones she wore to work today," Vivian answered.

"All right. Let's go to Sam's apartment building." Jack got up, and started walking out the door followed quickly by Danny and Viv.

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(A/N: For future reference, I don't know and don't think Sam has a doorman, but for the sake of conversation let's say she does)

"Danny, you talk to the doorman. Viv, you and I are going to be interviewing neighbors," Jack ordered as they walked up to the building.

"Door-to-door," Danny whispered to Viv, "have fun."

"Yeah," Viv responded, annoyed. "I'll take the first floor, Jack."

They went their separate ways, Danny stopping at the front door.

"Excuse me, sir?" Danny asked the doorman.

"Yes?" the short, older looking man answered. He had gray hair and glasses, and looked to be about 70.

"I'm Special Agent Danny Taylor from the FBI," Danny flashed his badge, "do you think I could ask you a few questions?"

"FBI, huh? You don't look like a Fed. For one thing, you're taller and thinner than I expected a Fed to be."

"Well, um, thanks, sir."

"Sir? Call me Sal, everyone does. That is my name after all. And go ahead, ask me anything you want."

"Okay Sal, tell me, you were working out here at about 10 right?"

"Sure was. Nine to one every night. Those are my hours. I spend the day with my wife and daughter."

"Right. Did you see a blonde woman, maybe around 30ish who lives in the building come out around then?"

"Oh, you mean Samantha."

"Samantha Spade, yes," Danny said.

"Sure did. Nice girl. Always has time to stop and say 'hello.' Brought me a pair of socks and gloves last Christmas. Nice girl."

"Yes, she is."

"Hate to tell you, son, but she sometimes is accompanied by a young man. He's real boyish looking and them two seem to get alone real well. If you want a take at her, you might want to work fast."

Danny chuckled. "Well, thanks for the warning, Sal. Did you see anything happen to Samantha?"

"No, but she did look like she was having trouble trying to get a cab. Damn cab drivers. I told her once to just lift up her skirt a little and the cabs will come flying but, she just said, 'Sal,' she says to me, 'you're too sweet to me.' Such a nice girl."

"You, uh," Danny interrupted, "you say she had trouble trying to get a cab?"

"Oh, yeah, real tough time. I offered to phone one for her, but she said that she would go down the block and try down there. Not a lotta cabs stop here since there's always cars blocking the place."

"Did you see anything else?"

"Well, there was this one guy that came around asking for her."

"Have you seen this man before?"

Sal thought for a minute. "No, but I've heard about him from Rick, the guy who works before me. Now _he's_ a real great guy. Are you gonna interview him, too?"

"I'll have to interview everyone. What did Rick tell you about this man?"

"Well, about eight months ago, Rick says that this guy's been stopping by asking Rick if he knows where Samantha is. Rick says, 'Gee, I don't know friend. Would you like me to leave her a message?' Man says 'No thanks,' and walks away. Comes by a couple times a week for about two months, then just stops coming. About a week or so ago, Rick says that this guy came back asking for her. Then tonight when I see this guy, why, I just assume he was the one Rick's been talking about."

"What did this man look like?"

"About as tall as you, maybe, an inch or two taller. Got real dark hair, and scummy looking clothes. He also had an earring in his left ear. Least, I think it was his left. You'll have to forgive me; my memory's going at such an old age."

Danny smiled. "It's all right, you did fine."

"Why you asking so many questions about tonight, anyway? Something happen to Samantha."

This guy seemed so nice and cheerful, Danny didn't want to ruin his life by telling him the disturbing news. He also didn't think he could take it to tell him. "She, uh, got into a little trouble, Sal."

"Gee, I hope she's all right."

"I'm sure she will be. Thanks for your help, Sal."

"Hey, no problem, kid. If you need anything else, you know where I'll be."

"Yeah, thanks," Danny smiled, and went to go inside looking after Jack and Viv.

"Oh, hey, Agent Taylor!" Danny was ashamed to admit that he was a little surprised that Sal remembered his name.

"Yes?"

"Rick works from five to nine every afternoon."

"Thanks a lot, Sal."

Sal smiled, having done his good deed for the day. He just hoped that whatever was going on with Samantha would turn out okay in the end.


	8. The Neighbor

Carol Becker sat on her old, red couch and sipped her tea. It was a little after midnight and Carol couldn't sleep. Ever since her husband died last year, she hadn't been sleeping well. The only company she had was her orange cat Tigger. Tigger was a present Carol's late husband David got her for her 75th birthday. Back then, Tigger was a small, playful kitten but now had transformed into a fat, lazy house cat. At this very moment, Tigger was sleeping on the nearby recliner as Carol watched old re-runs of _I Love Lucy_ on TV Land.

Carol was about to go re-fill her tea when there was a knock at the door. She got up, and slowly walked to the door wondering who it was.

"Hello," the middle-aged, dark haired man said when Carol opened the door, "I'm sorry if I woke you."

"No, no, I wasn't asleep. Just watching a little TV."

The man smiled. "I'm Special Agent Jack Malone from the FBI. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about your neighbor Samantha Spade."

"Samantha? Well of course. Won't you come in?" Jack nodded and thanked Carol before entering her apartment, but standing near the door. "What would you like to know?"

"Did you see Samantha at all tonight?"

"Yes, I see her almost every day. I even met her boyfriend once, oh, what was his name? Merlin? Marvin?"

"Martin."

"That's it! Martin."

Jack cleared his throat. "Did you see her tonight at around eight o'clock?"

"Yes, actually. I saw her when she was about to leave. She was all dressed up and I just assumed she was going to see Martin."

"Do you remember seeing a man with dark hair and an earring coming around to see Samantha?"

"Oh, you mean Luke?" Carol asked.

"Luke?"

"Yes. About a year ago, Samantha was seeing this guy named Luke who had an earring. I remember because I didn't approve of the earring, too old fashioned I guess." Carol smiled.

"Do you know anything else about this Luke guy?"

"His last name was uh, Green. Luke Green."

"Have you met this Mr. Green?"

"Yes, he seemed pleasant enough. Are you going to tell me what this is all about?"

"We'll let you know."

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Danny and Viv sat at their desks about two hours later looking for Luke Green. Jack was still at Sam's apartment building and at the "crime scene."

"I think I found him," Danny finally announced.

"You did? Good job Danny."

"Yep, Lucas Green, 32, works as a bartender at Club Hammer."

"Well, that's two blocks away from Sam's apartment," Viv stated.

"Yeah. I'll call Jack, you get the car ready."

A/N: Ok, I realized that I mentioned TV Land twice in this story, but that and Nick at Nite are what I watch when I can't sleep. _I Love Lucy_ is also one of my all time fave TV shows so….:-)


	9. The Flashback

_Samantha Spade walked out the door of the small up-town restaurant and grabbed a hold of her boyfriend's arm._

"_Dinner was wonderful. Thank you so much for taking me," she commented._

"_Anything for you," Martin Fitzgerald kissed Sam's head, and then put his arm around her holding her close._

"_It's such a beautiful night. You want to go for a walk in the park?"_

_Martin looked down at his companion and smiled. "I'd love to." Sam smiled and snuggled up closer to Martin._

_The couple strolled through the park and just laughed and held each other and shared small kisses back and forth. All of a sudden, Samantha stopped walking and stood on the pathway._

"_Is something wrong?" Martin asked._

_Sam smiled at the concern in his voice, and just shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong. It's just that, these boots weren't made for walking and I'm thinking I won't be able to walk all over you." She smiled at her corny joke, and then reached down to rub her tired feet._

"_Is that all? Well, I wouldn't want you to be in pain." Martin surprised Sam by quickly picking her up and slinging her over his shoulder._

"_What are you doing?" Sam laughed._

"_My woman is hurt, and as the man, I shall make sure she is no longer harmed."_

"_You're out of your mind! Now put me down!"_

_Martin laughed, and then put Sam down. "Why? So you can complain some more and later trick me into giving you a foot massage?"_

_"Damn, you know me too well."_

_"I bet those boots don't even hurt your feet."_

_"Oh yeah? You want to try them on and see how bad they hurt?"_

_Martin smiled his gorgeous smile. "No thanks, I'll pass. But did you ever stop to think that maybe it's not the shoes." Sam gave him a confused look. "Maybe you're just out of shape." Martin quickly took off running down the path._

_"You better run!" Sam yelled and took off after him. "You're ass is mine, Fitzgerald!"_

_"I thought it already was, Spade!" Martin called back. Sam picked up the speed and soon caught up to Martin, but lost her balance and started to fall, but quickly grabbed onto Martin's arm and pushed him down so that he cushioned her fall. _

_"Now, what did you say earlier about me being in shape?" Sam asked._

_Martin laughed. "I said, that you are in excellent shape and that I should never doubt you."_

_Sam smiled in victory. "That's what I thought you said." She leant down and kissed him. Just as he remembered to kiss back, she pulled away and got up. She then held out a hand to help him up. "As punishment for what you said earlier, I will allow you to carry me home since now my feet hurt worse than ever."_

_Martin just chuckled. "All right, that's fair. Get on, Spade." He turned around so Sam could hop onto his back. He instantly started moaning and groaning as he walked with her on his back, but Sam refused to get off._

_"My strong hero," she mumbled, rolling her eyes._

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Martin smiled at the memory of that night in the park. He couldn't believe that that had happened only one week earlier. If someone had told him then that he would be in a hospital room where Sam was 20 hours away from death, well, he probably would've hit them and then not believed it.

It was now three o'clock in the morning, and Sam's condition had not improved. Even as she lay on the bed, wasting away, to Martin she still looked as beautiful as ever. He only wished that she could wake up so he could tell her in person. He even knew how she'd react. She would roll her eyes, say a sarcastic comment, and then brush it off acting as if she didn't care when Martin really saw her eyes starting to tear up every time he said it.

He took Sam's warm hand – the warmth gave Martin hope – and kissed the back of it, his lips lingering. "Don't worry baby," he whispered, "I'm going to catch the bastard that did this and make him pay. Just wake up for me so we can be happy again. Please, sweetheart, I can't live without you. Please wake up," Martin started to cry, and kissed Sam's hand again.

His only response was the beeping of machines and the feel of a warm hand.

A/N: tear lol Sorry it was kind of short, and I promise to update soon! I double promise!

Up to come:

A painful interrogation

A surprise visitor

And a conclusion to Sam's condition: will she live or die? Only time will tell. hehehe


	10. The Alibi

Thank you for all the wonderful updates. I really appreciate it.

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Danny and Viv walked into the somewhat crowded club. It was 4 a.m. so the all nighters were getting sober and the disgruntled bartenders were getting drunk. The air stank of beer and sweat, and Danny cringed; the dancing part was fun – and of course all the girls – but the smells of a club always got to him. How disgusting.

"Wanna dance?" he asked Viv.

"Not here."

Danny smiled and led the way up to the bar, Viv right behind. "Are you Lucas Green?" Danny asked.

"No," was the short reply from the man behind the bar. He was about 6'2" and had brown hair and brown eyes and had an earring in his ear.

"Are you sure?" Danny asked, instantly knowing that sounded dumb.

"What, you wanna check my birth certificate or somethin'? I told you, 'no.' Now get lost."

Viv sighed. She hated losers like this. "I'm Special Agent Johnson from the FBI and this is Special Agent Taylor. We need to speak to Lucas Green."

The man behind the bar stared at Viv who stared right back; finally, he backed down. "Hey, yo Luke! Some feds wanna talk to ya!" he yelled.

"Thanks a lot for the trouble," Viv murmured.

Danny and Viv looked over until they saw a guy about 6 ft tall with dark hair and an earring came around. He introduced himself as Luke Green.

"We need to ask you a few questions about Samantha Spade," Danny said, getting right to the point.

"Samantha? Wow, it's been a while."

"When was the last time you saw her?" Viv asked.

"About a year ago, when we broke up. Why?"

"Well, that's real funny Luke. 'Cuz lots of people have seen you around her building lately looking for her."

"What? No way man, I respected our breakup and I would never stalk her. I'm not like that."

"Yeah, sure, that's what they all say," Danny said.

"Look, yeah Sam and I dated, OK? And yeah, we broke up. But I'm not one of those crazed guys who goes around stalking his ex-girlfriends, OK?"

"Where were you at about 8:00 tonight?" Viv asked.

"I was working. Anyone who was here can verify it."

Danny and Viv looked at each other. Maybe their slam dunk suspect wasn't the guy after all.

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Jack Malone stood in the hallway staring at Martin and Sam. He watched as Martin dropped small kisses on Sam's hand, arm, and forehead and whispered things to Sam's unconscious body. To say Jack was jealous was false, he wasn't jealous; he was envious. His own wife had left him and taken their daughters with her to Chicago and all Jack wanted was to love someone again. Hopefully that day would come, preferably sooner and not later, but right now all he could think about was his dying agent and friend. He slowly opened the door, and cleared his throat to acknowledge his presence.

"Hey Jack," Martin croaked. It sounded like he hadn't slept in years. It'd only been five hours, but it was beginning to look like five years. Jack could tell Martin had been crying, but he wasn't about to say anything, and he knew no matter what he said wouldn't make a difference: Martin would not leave Sam's side until she was well enough to go home with him.

"Hey, Martin, how is she?"

"Eh, same old. The beeping is beginning to drive me crazy but, she's still warm so that means something right?"

Jack gave Martin a small smile. "Yeah, that means something." The two men just looked at each other before Jack eventually cleared his throat again and looked away. "I just wanted to update you on the case, uh, we had a suspect, Luke Green."

"Had?"

"His alibi checks out. He was working at the time of the attack."

"Lucky alibi. Who is he?"

"Bartender who dated Sam about a year ago." Martin just nodded.

"Thanks for telling me Jack. Do you have anything else?"

"Not right now, but believe me we're working on it."

Martin nodded again before returning his gaze to Sam. Jack cleared his throat, obviously nervous about what he was about to propose because he knew he'd get shot down but risked it. "Why don't you go home and get some rest and let me stay with Sam for a while?"

"I appreciate it Jack, really, but I'm not leaving her until she wakes up. A-and don't think it's because I don't want you with her, because that's not it, i-it's just…"

"I know, I know," Jack interrupted, "Just thought I'd offer." Martin didn't say anything. "I'm going to go back to the office, but I'll update you the second we find anything out, OK?"

"Yeah, thanks Jack."

Jack nodded, and took one last glance at Martin holding Sam's hand before leaving the room.

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"Excuse me, nurse, can you tell me what room Samantha Spade is in?"

"Room 204."

"Thank you very much." The mystery man walked down the hall and made his way to Room 204.

A/N: Ooh, who is the mystery man? Will Sam live or die? Who attacked her if Luke has an alibi? Find out next……lol I will update tomorrow hopefully and if you wish to guess on who the mystery visitor is, be my guest. This one might throw you for a loop. :-) Until next time….


	11. The Mystery Man

I got so many lovely reviews I decided to update today! Lol Here it is, the big chapter…..well one of the big ones

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Jack, Danny, and Viv all sat around the conference table. It was 6 a.m. The other agents who occupy the building were just getting in, and the three Missing Persons Unite members were sitting around waiting for lab results. No one spoke, everyone just kept thinking about Sam.  
Being an FBI agent made most of them pessimists, so they always expected the worst. They all wanted to be positive, but they just couldn't. They all thought about what they would do IF Sam died. Who would Danny protect? Who would have girl talk with Viv? Who would be Jack's favorite agent? The questions all piled in until finally a phone rang.

It was Danny's.

"Hello? Yes. OK. Who? Really? OK. Thanks. Bye." Viv and Jack stared at Danny, who looked back at them ready with news.

"The semen from Sam's rape kit didn't match Luke Green."

"Not a surprise since he has a rock solid alibi. Damnit," Jack responded.

"No, but our lab guys did run the DNA through a few databases (A/N: don't know if that's true, my CSI knowledge isn't coming in handy here, but let's roll with it) and got a hit. A guy named Johnny Guerrera."

"Who is that?" Viv asked.

"He's our 'friendly' bartender who works with Luke."

Jack and Viv were speechless. "You're kidding." Jack said.

"Nope, _and_ he has a record."

"For what?" Viv asked.

"Raping and beating a 28 year old girl."

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_103, 104, 105…..where the hell was room 204? Oh, duh, on the second floor. Maybe I should just leave. Maybe this was a bad idea. What if I'm not welcome? Oh well, I'm going to see Samantha no matter what. Now, where are the damned elevators?_

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This was getting tiresome. Various nurses had been in and out of the room, and always with the same questions. _Are you OK? Can I get you something? Would you like to lie down? Maybe you should go and get some rest. We'll call you if she wakes up._

The last one killed him. _If_ she wakes up. _When_ she wakes up, he thought. Samantha will wake up so that they can live happily ever after. Oh, damnit, why wasn't she waking up?

Martin kept talking to Sam though, telling her of his dreams for the two of them. It would start with things they would do later that week, that month, that year, and end with things 50 years from now when they both get old and tired and their kids and grandkids are visiting them on weekends. Her hand was wet from all the kisses he dropped onto it, and although he hated to see the life draining out of his beloved, he couldn't look away. It just wasn't possible.

Martin dropped one more kiss onto Sam's hand. "Come on Sam. Wake up. I need you to wake up and yell at me for touching your hand at the office or for leaving the toilet seat up. Please, I need to hear your voice." Another kiss. "I love you so much, you can't leave me now."

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_200, 201, 202, 203….finally! 204. Here goes nothing._

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Martin sat in the uncomfortable chair staring at his love when he heard someone clear their throat. He thought it was Jack or Danny, but when he turned around to look at the mystery man, he was shocked. It took everything he had just to mutter out the one word:

"Dad?"

A/N: REVIEWS PLEASE! WITH A CHERRY ON TOP?

Still to come:

Martin chats with the "mystery man"

A painful interrogation….literally

Sam's outcome: Dead or Alive? Only time will tell…..


	12. The Father Son Moment

Thank you to all who reviewed! This chapter may be a little short and pointless but, here it is anyway! Thank you all! MUCH LOVE!

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Martin Fitzgerald was shocked beyond words. The last person he expected to see during this time was his own father. He was sure that if Victor Fitzgerald did hear about Sam's attack, he would be in Washington looking for her replacement.

"Dad, what are you doing here?"

"Hello Martin. Nice to see you too." Martin winced. No matter how old either of them got, Victor could still scare Martin to death. "I'm here to visit Samantha, is that OK?" Martin just stared at his father, not sure what angle he was working. Victor looked at Martin who was still holding Sam's hand.

"What are you doing here? Are you here to find a replacement for Sam? Because she will wake up you know…"

"Martin, Martin," Victor interrupted. "Stop rambling. I came here simply to visit Samantha and see how she was. I heard about her accident and I just wanted to check up on her. She is after all one of the bureau's finest agents."

Martin stayed silent, focusing his attention on Sam instead of his father. "It wasn't an accident," he said quietly. "It was an ambush. An attack. Sam could die, and…..I just…." Martin was silent. What could he say? This was the first time he actually admitted the possibility of Sam dying.

"She's the one, isn't she son?" Victor asked quietly. Martin simply nodded. Victor walked over to his heartbroken son, laid his hand upon Martin's shoulder, and stared at Samantha. "She's beautiful." Martin nodded again. "You know, when I was your age, your mother and I had just gotten married a month before when she was in this horrible car accident. The doctors didn't think that she would make it through the night she was all banged up but, I simply told them 'Listen, my wife _will_ wake up, and she _will_ be fine and we _will_ be happy.' I sat with her in that hospital room for 32 hours before she finally woke up. I never once lost hope, and now not only do I have her, I have you and your sisters. So you see son, never give up hope. I have faith that Samantha will wake up, so that you two can be happy."

Tears ran down Martin's face. He was silent. Hearing his dad talk about his mom like that, and then relating it to him and Sam made him feel overwhelmed. "But Dad," he said, "Sam doesn't have 32 hours. Only 24. And she's already wasted seven of them."

"Just hope and pray, Martin, that's all you can do."

Martin and Victor were silent for a moment, both just watching Samantha. There was no sound at all until another person cleared his throat from behind them.

It was Danny.

"Mr. Fitzgerald, so nice to see you sir," he said, shaking hands with Victor, a confused look on his face.

"Agent Taylor, you're looking well."

"Thank you, sir. Uh, Martin, we have a suspect in custody. His semen matched the DNA from Sam's rape kit, so we're pretty sure we have our guy."

"Thank God," Martin murmured. Victor looked pleased.

"Yeah, well, we thought that you might want to have a conversation with the guy." Victor looked at Martin, who stared at Sam.

"Yeah, I do." Martin stood up, and kissed Sam's forehead whispering, "I'll be back soon."

"If you want, I can stay with Sam," Danny offered.

"No, Agent Taylor, please. Let me." Victor sat down in the seat that Martin had vacated, and Danny just nodded. The two young FBI agents left the room to go have a chat with their suspect and Sam's rapist, as Victor took ahold of one of Sam's hands.

"Hi, Samantha. I'm the big, bad Victor Fitzgerald. You're future father-in-law."

A/N: Sorry this is so short. I hope to finish this story up in two more chapters and then MAYBE an epilogue. Let me know what you think. Also, I apologize if the timing is a little off but I can't keep track of how many hours has gone by, so, I'm just going to wing it if that's OK.


	13. The Interrogation

I know I haven't updated in a while but life has just been crazy this year. There should only be two or three more chapters and I promise I will do my best to get them up this week or at least very soon.

Thank you if you're reading this and sticking by me. Onto Chapter 13!

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Martin walked down the hall of the FBI building heading towards the interrogation room. With each step he got angrier and angrier at this man, whose name he had just been told. As soon as he reached the room, he reached out to grab the door knob, and as he went to turn it a quick flash of his comatose girlfriend flashed in his mind. He flung open the door, slamming it shut.

"Please, don't stand up on my account," he said.

"Wasn't planning on it."

"So, Johnny…..oh, is it OK if I call you Johnny? Do you prefer John or Jack maybe?"

"Whatever, man."

"See…ah…" Martin took a seat at the table and lowered his voice, "that kind of attitude doesn't really fly with me, _Johnny_."

"Look, can you please tell me what this is about? I do have a job, ya know."

"Yeah, well, that's going to have to wait. Let's talk about tonight Johnny, tell me what happened."

"Look, like I told your little 'spic friend out there: I had dinner at eight, left my apartment at 8:30, then headed straight to work – been there ever since."

"Yeah, see, there's a little problem with your story there Johnny. Your pal Luke, tells us that you didn't come in until 9:30 when your shift starts at nine."

"I ran into traffic."

"Really? Somewhere between the whole five blocks between your apartment and the club?"

"It was a busy night."

Martin nodded. "Are you sure you didn't make any side trips?" Johnny remained silent. "Because, you know, an hour is a long time to walk five blocks."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot. I grabbed a soda."

"A soda?" Johnny just nodded, with a smug smile on his face. "Are you sure you didn't stop to rape, beat, and shoot an innocent young woman you sick son-of-a-bitch?" Martin raised his voice a little.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what? I didn't rape and shoot nobody?"

Martin sat up real close to Johnny. "Are ya sure, Johnny? 'Cuz we got a DNA sample that begs to differ."  
"A DN-what?"

"DNA. It's what makes me know that you're the sick bastard that raped and shot my girlfriend!"

Johnny stopped protesting for a minute. He knew what DNA was, he wasn't stupid. He also knew that he had no chance of finding a way out of this as long as they had his DNA. So, he decided to take a second approach. "Oh, yeah, I remember her now. Blonde, right? Pretty. She was a fighter, your girlfriend, all the way 'till the end." Martin realized what this dirtbag was doing – trying to psych him out – and damn if it wasn't working. "The way she screamed, and begged me not to do it. Ya know the only reason I hit her was because she hit me first. Heh. Good lay that one, good lay." Martin was getting madder and madder, his hands clenching into fists. "I'm sorry I had to shoot, and probably kill her. She is dead, isn't she? Heh." Martin remained quiet as Johnny paused. "You know what Agent, uh, Fitzgerald is it?" Johnny asked reading Martin's ID. "I like you. So I'm gonna let you in a little secret." Johnny sat up real close to Martin's face.

Behind the glass, the rest of the team watched the interrogation, ready to spring in if Martin did something drastic. Of course, they all wanted to kill this guy, but they also had to make sure Martin didn't get fired or worse because of what he might do. They all held a breath to see what would happen.

"I would do it all over again."

There was a pause before Martin finally lost it and leapt across the table, tackling Johnny to the wall. From behind the two-way mirror, the team ran over to get Martin off their rapist.

"You listen to me you sick little bastard, if you ever, EVER, go Samantha again I will kill you. I will hunt you down…"

"Martin…"

"…and kill you myself you son-of-a-bitch. I will…"

"Martin…"

"…hunt you down…"

"Martin!"

"…and KILL YOU!" Martin's grip got tighter around Johnny's throat as he banged his head further into the wall with every word. Jack and Danny ran over to restrain Martin, while Viv hung back by the door.

"Martin, Martin! Come on, man, don't do this!" Danny was saying. They finally got Martin off of Johnny, and practically dragged him out of the interrogation room. Viv hung in the room to take care of Johnny.

"Martin, it's OK, man. It's OK."

"No, it's not OK, Danny. He did it. He shot her a-and…."

"I know, man."

"…a-and raped her."

"I know! OK, I know. But beating up this scumbag isn't going to help Sam any, all right?" Danny put his hand on Martin's shoulder trying to calm him.

"Yeah, yeah I guess you're right." Martin ran a hand over his face. "OK, yeah, I-uh, I'm sorry Jack."  
"Hey, if I could get a few good swings at him I would." Martin smiled. Then he heard a phone ring. It was his.

"Fitzgerald. Dad? What is it? What's wrong? What's wrong with Samantha? What do you mean they kicked you out of her room? What the hell is going on? I'm coming down."

"What's wrong?" Danny asked.

"I don't know. My dad said they kicked him out of her room when her machines started beeping loudly. I'm going down there."  
"I'm coming with you," Danny said.

"I'll grab Viv, and we'll meet you down there," Jack replied. Martin and Danny left and under his breath Jack said, "Please, God, let her be OK."

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A/N: gasp What's wrong with Sam? Will she live or die? I'm thinking the next chapter will prove it and then maybe an epilogue if you are all really good and eat your vegetables. :-) xx


	14. The Result

I am so, SO sorry that I didn't update sooner. I did not forget about this fic but, you all know how life is it screws you up lol. Anyway, this is the FINAL chapter so thank you guys so much for hanging in there.

And now, the conclusion…

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Martin and Danny ran down the hall towards Sam's room. Victor was waiting outside, pacing, waiting for his son.

"Dad! Dad!" Martin called. When he reached his father, he breathlessly asked, "What happened? What's wrong with her?"

Victor sighed. "I don't know, son. They haven't told me anything."

Just then, Dr. Robertson walked towards the three. Martin couldn't read his expression, so he still wasn't sure whether he should be picking out an engagement ring or a coffin.

"Dr. Robertson, what happened?" Martin asked cautiously, "Is Sam OK?"

Dr. Robertson sighed. This was not a good sign. Then he smiled. OK…better sign.

"Your girlfriend is going to be fine, Agent Fitzgerald."

Never were there more beautiful words. It felt like the world had just been lifted off Martin's shoulders; he wanted to cry.

But not really. "Thank you, doctor," he answered.

"You're welcome. But it was your girlfriend who did it," he turned to Victor, "I'm sorry if we scared you Director Fitzgerald, but when comatose patients come to we usually like to keep all friends and family out of the room."

"As long as she's OK, we have no problem." The doctor smiled.

"Can I see her?" Martin asked.

"Of course, but she's still a little tender so uh, try and keep it easy." Dr. Robertson winked at Martin before heading off down the hall.

"Why don't we uh, go see where Jack and Viv are, Director?" Danny asked, wanting to make sure Martin got some alone time with Sam.

Victor got the underlying meaning and agreed with Danny. After patting Martin on the back, Danny and the Director made their way off the same way the doctor did.

Martin took a deep breath before going in to see Sam. When he did, she was sitting up in bed, brown eyes wide and open. There wasn't a more beautiful sight.

"Hey sweetheart," he greeted.

At the sound of his voice, Sam's eyes started to well up with tears and she couldn't help but release them. "Martin…" she sobbed.

"Oh, baby," Martin ran over to her and gathered her in his arms. Lightly, of course, but it felt so reassuring to hug her and have her hug him back. He dropped many kisses all over her bruised face, catching each one and reassuring her that he would make them better. "I missed you so much. I was so scared."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's not your fault, Sam. But it did make me realize a few things."

Sam stopped crying, and allowed Martin to brush away her tears. "What's that?" she asked.

"That when you get out of here, I want to marry you."

Sam almost stopped breathing. She was so sure this day would never come that she didn't prepare herself for it. She didn't know what to say.

"Well, what do you say?" he asked.

She paused, which in retrospect probably wasn't a good thing, but she had to think. And quick.

Marriage. With Martin. Babies. With Martin. Life-time together. With Martin.

There was only one answer.

"Yes."

Martin couldn't have been happier. He kissed her fully on the lips, and she kissed back. He re-kissed every bruise on her face, whispering words of love and courage.

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Sam was released from the hospital a week later. She still had time off from work though, and Jack allowed Martin to stay with her for part of the time.

The happy couple was sitting on the couch watching some chick flick on Lifetime or Oxygen, neither knew which. But it didn't matter, because neither of them were watching the movie.

Sam was watching her beautiful new diamond ring, and Martin, of course, was watching Sam.

"It's so beautiful, Martin," she whispered.

"A beautiful ring for a beautiful lady," he whispered back, and kissed her head.

"OK, buddy, no more chick flicks for you." Sam turned off the TV and turned towards her fiancée.

Martin kissed Sam once more. When he pulled back, he noticed a sad expression on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Will my pain ever go away?" she asked softly.

Martin was filled with sadness. Even though Johnny had gone to jail and will be there the rest of his life, he still knew what Sam was talking about. She had nightmares, he had nightmares. Hell, even Danny said he had nightmares. The truth was, Martin didn't know. But he wasn't going to tell Sam that.

"Come on, honey, you know what they say. Time heals all wounds."

She smiled, he kissed her, and they lived happily ever after.

THE END

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A/N: I know, finally right? I've been working on this story for what, a year? OK, more than a year, but it's done! YAY! Thanks again to all who read, and if anyone is an NCIS fan look out for my next one-shot fic coming soon! Love you all!


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